Stark Studio Gets Stylish

Chaos defines the 12 X 15-foot studio. The work surfaces don't do much good because of all the clutter on top of them. And the one narrow closet in the room is filled from top to bottom with stacks of fabric.

Items on the shelves are piled haphazardly about and some stand completely empty. There is one area on the shelves that looks as if some attempt was made at organizing, because it has a container of fabric on it. But there are also shelves close to the ceiling that are very inconvenient to reach.

The Redecorators say they saw their plan as soon as they walked in. First up is a new color theme to add dimension and texture. They also want to get rid of a chair and counter to make room for a new wall-to-wall work surface for all the sewing machines and move the main work table away from the wall to the center of room so that all four sides can be accessed. Three weeks and just over $1,000 later, the results are in.

After

Patterns are now in magazine folders and categorized by style or by season and labeled. Hatboxes are used for storing for buttons, zippers and bindings, and fabric swatches are placed on pieces of paper in a notebook so that Joanne can jot down any notes or details. The Redecorators also designated a side of the room for each of the women to work.

The rioom now has a retro tone with the Cat's Meow pink walls and black and white accents instead of the stuffy white look. The Redecorators also added a maiden form and painted an ordinary waste can to match the room and use for storing larger fabrics and interfacing.

The stark studio light fixtures have been replaced by various lamps through the room to create a softer look and feel. In addition, rolling bins full of sewing supplies that were strewn about before are now out of the way underneath the main work table in the middle of the room. Joanne can hang her creations that are in progress on either of the wall-mounted pieces and then tack fabric swatches next to it as she works on them.

The old unreachable shelves are replaced with an accessible single shelf system. One section houses magazine clips of design ideas. The ironing board came off the floor and onto the wall to save valuable floor space, and the closet is now full of neatly labeled boxes of fabric.

One of Joanne's favorite new features is this dual-purpose mirror that she can use for fitting as well as a "chalkboard" for quickly sketching out ideas.

Additional seating comes from a new black chair and ottoman placed in the corner for a relaxation and inspiration. An old brown patterned chair may have been thrown out by some, but The Redecorators had other ideas. By just adding some black paint and fabric to the back and seat, this chair is as good as new.

Both Creamer ladies love their new studio. It is now a practical, functional shared workspace that's still stylish and sophisticated.

Products from Stacks and Stacks:

traditional picture light
Chicago ottoman
Chicago chair
waste can
wall mount hook, sets of two
wall mount ironing board
home organizer-bankers box-file boxes
Endurance spice racks
cookbook holder

Benjamin Moore paint colors used:

Cat's Meow, No. 1332
eggshell
Super White, semigloss
Super White, flat
Black, high gloss

Products from the Container Store:

white Elfa desktops
white Elfa desk legs
clear eight-drawer storage chest